How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom (2021–2022): Season 2, Episode 12 - Know Your Enemy and Know Yourself, and Your Union Shall Not Be Endangered - full transcript

Jirkoma left the running
of the village to Komain

and left the Kingdom of Friedonia with
other people who wanted to return home.

The people leaving missed home terribly
and were resolved to

retake their land by force if necessary.

Those seeing them off dreamed of
starting a new life in a new land

while keeping their longing for
their homeland in their hearts.

Although parting was a bind,

the decision was their own.

ORIGINAL STORY BY DOJYOMARU

It looks like you are all here,
so let's get started.

Are you wondering about my glasses?



Actually, they are clear lenses,
but make me feel more like the part.

-Is it enough to feel the part?
-Well, yes.

The reason I have asked you all
here today, is to hold

our very first
"Bridal Achievement Course."

Of course, I was a natural
choice for your instructor.

Excel Walter at your service.

I have been looking for an opportunity
to hold this course for some time now.

His Majesty said he was
"happy to have children any time."

So, I thought it would be
the perfect time.

You will all be mothers in no time.

As you are aware, the country
was on the brink of civil war

when the King died two generations ago,
due to a dispute that arose regarding

the succession of the throne.

We trust that such a situation will not
occur during the reign of King Souma.



But we cannot rest on our laurels.

There will be people waiting to exploit
any breaches between the King and his

Queens or between the Queens themselves.

For the sake of this country too,

it is essential that you maintain
smooth marital relations.

Therefore, we are holding this
"Bridal Development Class."

I was just wondering why you
are taking the course?

Well, I have been alive for 500 years,

and fallen in love with a number of men
during that time.

It was only death that parted me
from any of those men.

I bore a child for each of these men too.

It becomes me as a princess,
or rather, an individual woman,

to teach you how to live harmoniously with

the man that you love.

This includes how you should behave
as a wife, in an emotional and

psychological sense, as well as
the requisite "nighttime services" to

ensure a harmonious relationship.

I have already given King Souma
a lesson separately.

To start with, when it comes to both
war and marital relations,

information is key.

His Majesty always says,
"If you know yourself and your opponent,

you will survive 100 battles."

Correct.

If you know how the other person sees you,

this will give you a clue as to
how to behave.

If things get tedious, though,
it is important to be

unpredictable sometimes to
get you out of the rut.

If you know your enemy and yourself,
your union will not be endangered.

When I met with the King, I had
a sorcerer put a spell on him

that would make him confess
his deepest secrets.

These notes are a record of
what the King revealed at that time.

In that case, let us look at how

King Souma sees each of you.

-Roroa
-What?

Let's start with his evaluation of you.

Why start with me?

There is no particular reason.

I just thought I would start with
the one who met the King most recently.

I suppose I am the most
recent out of this group.

Well, I suppose it is better than
having to go last.

So, according to his Majesty…

What do you think of Roroa?

With Roroa, I am drawn to
her bright and friendly personality.

She has a wicked side to her,

but that is also an attractive feature.

It is sweet how she looks up to
Liscia and the others

and she has a really good business head
on her shoulders.

I am grateful she became engaged to me.

That's a bit embarrassing.

When I asked His Majesty whether

he felt anything else for Roroa, he said

"I feel somewhat responsible for
the death of her father."

Even though it happened at a time of war,

as far as she is concerned,
I am the enemy of her father.

Even though Roroa was estranged
from her father,

I wonder, in her heart of hearts,
whether she really wants to marry me.

He said he thinks about
these things from time to time.

Is he nuts?

He must be crazy. I have
considered all that stuff

and decided I want to marry him.

It is based on my own decision to be
with my darling, so I wish he

would not say that.

-Roroa…
-Liscia…

Souma will get a rollicking from me later.

Roroa, the reason that His Majesty
thinks that way is because you

are important to him
and he really loves you.

You understand that, right?

Although I'm sad that I have
not properly communicated my feelings,

I am rather pleased that

my darling values me so much.

As long as you understand that,
you will be fine.

-Next up is Juna.
-Yes.

She is very pretty. Truly beautiful.

Both inside and out.

Among her friends, she often

lurks in the background, but
that is so she can see the big picture.

She is just a perfect woman,
who I am not handing over to anyone.

He really said those things?

When I asked him if he had any other
feelings in relation to Juna,

his Majesty said,

"Sometimes when she panders to me,

I enjoy being the younger one of us."

My understanding was that
His Majesty and I were the same age.

That's right. I am sure you
are both only 19 years old.

His Majesty only realized this later, but

it seems in his previous world,
there are 365 days in a year.

But here there are 384 days, so
I guess it was based on that calculation.

So, in the world where King Souma is from,
you would be one year older.

So I am one year older?

Could it be that His Majesty is not
keen on older women?

Don't worry. He also said this.

He goes on to talk about a proverb,
which goes as follows:

"Find a wife a year older than you

even if you have to wear wire sandals."

That's a relief.

Next is Aisha's turn.

Yes.

Souma's assessment of you is as follows.

Why such a long pause?

"She's like a pet."

You must be kidding.

That seems about right.

Even you, Juna.
Are you treating me like a dog?

Aisha is a strong,

noble, and beautiful warrior.

Probably the best in the land.

I should feel safe and reassured
when she is by my side.

At least I thought I would.

There is something special about
her that makes me want to

protect her instead.

I am a failure as a bodyguard.

Aisha, give me your hand.

Aisha, you are so cute.

I feel I want to protect her too.

What, really?

Finally, what he had to say about Liscia.

I should first tell you his answer

when asked whether he had
any feelings about Liscia.

Why are you only starting from that
question for me?

The reason is that this answer

summarizes his assessment of Liscia.

His Majesty said just one thing.

"Nothing."

Nothing? What does that mean?

He has very particular feelings
about the others, but there is

nothing special that he feels about me?

His Majesty said the following.

"I want to relate my most
important feelings to her directly."

What's that all about?

That's better than the rest of us.

You are the only one
he really considers special. I'm jealous.

Stop it you guys. It hurts.

Even you, Juna.

I am envious of you guys as well.

Really?

If he said "I like this" about me, or

that "I don't want to hand her
over to anyone,"

or that he "wants to protect me,"
I would be happy.

That's the way it goes, I suppose.

Anyway,

let's all keep serving him together.

Aisha, you really do
sum these things up nicely.

Yes, I do.

From this point, I want to relate to you
the detailed knowledge you will need

to improve your marital relations.

Detailed knowledge?

I told you about this at the start.

This course covers
an extremely broad range,

from the psychological elements
to "nighttime service".

You will be taught everything
in excruciating detail.

Excuse me, grandma, but do we

really have to take a course

about nighttime activities?

Juna is right. It is very
embarrassing to talk about.

I don't mind. It sounds quite interesting.

-Roroa?
-Aren't you interested, Liscia?

I'm not sure.

Come on. You must be a little bit curious?

You can admit it to me.

Are you wiling to let this
opportunity pass you by?

If you listen to my lecture carefully
until the end,

I will give this to you
as a present on completion.

"Extremely important
and confidential document.

Burn after reading."

It sounds like what is inside
is dangerous.

National secrets.

Yes, ultimate national secrets.

This contains the things that he

wants you to do or

things he wants to do with you.

It describes these very situations.

I mean that must be
the very definition of a national secret.

King Souma would normally
keep these things to himself, but

he has laid the innermost secrets of his

heart bare in these pages.

In that case, let's start the course.

What!?

GRAN CHAOS EMPIRE - IMPERIAL CITY OF VALOR

Come in.

Excuse my rudeness.

There is something I need to report to
you in regard to the slave trader issue.

So, what is going on with
the slave traders?

In line with the proposal from King Souma,

the Empire has also initiated
a program for employing slaves.

Souma always has such great ideas.

Rather than suddenly abolishing
the system, make them civil servants

and raise the level of
the slaves' education.

I would never have thought up
an idea like that.

I heard that it was one of the town
slave traders rather than Souma that

came up with that particular idea.

Well, he always surrounds himself
with good people.

That's certainly true.

However,

some slave owners may not
get certified and turn to

sanctioning violent actions

such as abduction, as has happened
in the Kingdom of Friedonia.

We need to make sure that
it does not happen here.

Yes, I will definitely keep this mind
as we implement the authorization process.

Even so,

I wonder what plans Souma has to develop
his Kingdom moving forward.

I can imagine he has plans to build
something truly great.

You seem rather enraptured with Souma,
my sister.

Of course, but having said that,

Friedonia will be used for
reference purposes only.

We need to build a magnificent state

here our own way.

Understood.

I intend to stay in close contact with
Prime Minister Hakuya.

I agree that it is the best
course of action.

So, how are things going then?

-In what way?
-I mean between you and Hakuya.

What are you suggesting?

Excuse my rudeness.

Not at all. Please carry on.

The lives of our citizens are finally
on a stable footing.

Many new houses are being built.

-That's good to hear.
-There is one problem, though.

Many of the trees near the royal
castle have been cut down

to provide building materials
and firewood for winter.

Some regions are starting to look
very bare.

I didn't see that one coming.

Do we need to implement a lumber stop?

Sorry, what is a 'lumber stop'?

In the country where I am from,

lumber was once
an important military resource.

So people were prohibited from cutting
down trees on specified mountains.

Those transgressing the law risked their
head if they cut down a single tree.

I'm not sure we want to implement that.

I wasn't planning to go that far.

If we are short of lumber,
we can get some from the

God-protected forest
and take it where it is needed.

As you desire, my lord.

How is it going with Komain
and the refugees?

Their relocation to Venetinova is
going well and there doesn't seem

to be any dissatisfaction concerning
the housing situation either.

It is the job situation, or lack of it,
that is the problem.

Many of their race are hunter-gatherers.

There are few people with useful skills.

We can't have them all simply
making bows and arrows.

Surely even hunter-gatherers can
do hand weaving.

I will have them focus on
the textiles industry.

To expand employment beyond that,

we will need to make greater investment
in public works projects.

Fortunately, there are certain areas in
Venetinova that have not been zoned.

I will organize these with a mind to

finding employment for the refugees.

Please do. In no time,
I hope Venetinova can become

a bustling center of public trading.

But unless the education standards
can be raised,

industrial work alone will
not be enough for them to truly thrive.

I am in discussions regarding that
point with Master Ginger.

Good for you, Hakuya. I knew
you would be on top of it.

Your Highness…

What is it, Poncho?

I've finished making the thing you
requested of me.

-You mean to tell me…
-Yes, Sire!

So this is it.

Go ahead and taste it.

What is your opinion of it?

This is it, Poncho.

This is the sauce I wanted for
flour-based dishes. Without a doubt.

Great!

If you don't mind enlightening me,
sauce for flour-based dishes?

If we have this, we can make

yakisoba, okonomiyaki, monjayaki,
takoyaki, and soba-meshi.

We can make all such dishes.

Pouring it on fried goods enhances
the flavor no end.

Try a little bit, Hakuya.

The flavor of fruit and vegetables,

the aroma of spices that settle deep
in your nostrils,

but different again from
your normal Worcester Sauce.

The taste has a real depth to it
with the perfect blend of sweet and sour.

It is certainly different from any sauce
I have tasted thus far.

I am truly impressed that you were able to
recreate that taste.

Despite the fact that you have never
actually tasted the real thing.

Thank you for your kind words, Sire!

Somehow or other, though,

this taste appears somewhat familiar.

There's no getting things past you,
Your Majesty!

I mixed Worcester with tomato sauce and

took soy sauce produced
at the Kikkoro distillery

and added a touch of mirin.

Poncho, do you think you would be able
to mass-produce this sauce?

The Kokkoro distillery will take
on the project, so no problem.

Your Highness, it just occurred to me that

it might be good to make this sauce
for flour-based dishes into a

local specialty for Venetinova.

That would be a great source of
local employment.

Although it would not be
sold exclusively in Venetinova,

it is a town from a bay area,
so they can make squid yakisoba.

This will be the birth of Venetinovan
local specialty squid yakisoba!

Squid yakisoba!

What a fantastic ring that has to it!

My mouth is watering
at the very thought of it.

This year has been full of drama.

-It certainly has.
-I can't believe eight months have passed

since April 32nd when the throne
was passed down to me.

Tomorrow is the 32nd of December.

Time really flies, doesn't it?

Is something up, Liscia?

No. Nothing at all. Really.

Say "Ah!"

I've always wanted the opportunity to
share moments like this with you.

Just doing nothing in particular,

warm under the kotatsu sunken table.

It is a state of perfect bliss.

Say "Ah!"

Doing nothing is great fun.

I wonder how long
this can continue though.

Right.

And right on cue…
here comes something to do.

Come in!

I have a message for you
from former King Albert.

Tomorrow, on December 32nd,

he requests the honor of holding
a meeting with you.

I've been expecting this.

A meeting with my father.
I will join you Souma.

He requested that Souma come alone.

Subtitle translation by: Simon Way